This invention relates generally to plow assemblies for attachment to a vehicle, and, more particularly, to a plow hitch and support assembly for easy mounting and removal of a plow to and from the front of a vehicle, whereby the plow assembly is at least partially supported when it is disconnected from the vehicle.
A plow assembly for plowing snow or other loose or plastic materials, such as sand, gravel, dirt or the like, with a vehicle is typically mounted to the front end of the vehicle to push the snow as the vehicle is driven forward. A mounting assembly is fixedly secured to a frame or chassis of the vehicle in order to provide a plurality of mounting attachments for a plow and hitch assembly to secure thereto. These mounting assemblies are generally positioned beneath a front bumper of the vehicle with attachment brackets extending forwardly and upwardly to facilitate attachment. In order to move the vehicle when the plow is not in use, as well as to effectively push snow into a pile, a power source such as a hydraulic cylinder or the like is typically implemented to allow the plow blade of the plow assembly to be raised. This further requires that the hitch assembly and/or a lift assembly be pivotally secured to the mounting brackets extending from the vehicle.
When a typical plow assembly is to be attached to a vehicle having a corresponding mounting assembly secured thereto, the vehicle must be driven to a point substantially close to the mounting edge of the lift assembly of the plow assembly. At that point a person must manually adjust the lift assembly both vertically and horizontally in order to align the mounting holes or other attaching points on the lift assembly to the corresponding mounting holes or attaching points on the mounting assembly secured to the vehicle. Once the mounting holes are properly aligned, the same person, or a second person, must insert mounting pins through the mounting holes in order to secure the plow assembly to the vehicle. This may be a rather difficult process, as these plow assemblies are of substantial weight and may even include a light tower, which provides headlamps substantially above the blade of the plow, and a power source on the lift assembly, thereby substantially adding to the overall weight of the assembly which the person must then lift and move to align with the vehicle.
Because the vehicles on which these plow assemblies are attached are not always used to plow snow, such as every day transportation in the absence of snow, the plow assemblies are typically manually detachable from the mounting assembly, which remains on the vehicle. However, even when such assemblies are detached from the vehicle, the brackets and other connection points of many mounting assemblies protrude forward and above the bumper of the vehicle. This results in an unsightly appearance of the vehicle and may further lead to damage of the mounting attachments as they may become bumped or otherwise damaged over the time period when the plow assembly is not attached to the vehicle.
While some plow assemblies have addressed this concern by implementing a mounting assembly which remains substantially rearward of the bumper of the vehicle when the remainder of the plow assembly has been detached therefrom, it is then a difficult process to attach and detach the lift assembly of the plow onto the mounting assembly, since the mounting attachments are more difficult to reach due to their location beneath and rearward of the bumper. Therefore, this mounting process typically requires persons attaching the plow to the vehicle to be in a rather awkward and uncomfortable position as they attempt to reach the mounting holes beneath the bumper and insert the mounting pins therethrough while simultaneously supporting the lift assembly such that the holes are aligned. Similar difficulties are encountered when detaching the plow assembly from the mounting assembly on the vehicle.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a snowplow assembly which provides for easy mounting and connecting of the plow assembly to the vehicle. The plow assembly must substantially detach from the vehicle such that a minimal number of components or brackets remain on the vehicle when the plow is not in use. The mounting attachments which are secured to the vehicle should not be visible along the front or sides of the vehicle such that they will avoid damage or injury to people when they are not in use. Furthermore, the plow assembly must be pivotally attached to the front of the vehicle without requiring a great deal of lifting and adjusting of the assembly by a person mounting the plow to a vehicle.
The present invention is intended to provide a plow assembly which is easily mounted to or detached from a vehicle, and especially the front of a vehicle, with a minimal requirement for manual exertion.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a support assembly is adapted for partially supporting a plow assembly at a support surface when the plow assembly is disconnected from a vehicle. The plow assembly has a first end and a second end. The first end of the plow assembly has a plow blade, while the second end of the plow assembly is adapted to removably connect to a plow mounting portion of the vehicle. The support assembly includes a support foot interconnected to the plow assembly and a control device. The support foot is movable relative to the plow assembly between a raised position and a lowered position. The support foot is movable to the lowered position to engage the support surface to support the second end of the plow assembly when the plow assembly is disconnected from the vehicle. The control device is operable to automatically limit movement of the support foot at the lowered position in response to a signal indicative of the support foot contacting the support surface.
The signal may be communicated to the control device via a pressure switch, a contact switch or position sensor, or the like. Additionally, the control device may be operable to raise the support foot in response to a control input and to limit movement of the support foot at a raised position in response to a signal indicative of the support foot being at a raised position with respect to the plow assembly. The support assembly preferably includes an activating switch which is manually and selectably switchable between a raising position for raising the support foot and a lowering position for lowering the support foot. The control device is operable to raise or lower the support foot in response to the control input of the activating switch and to limit movement of the support foot at its raised or lowered position in response to the signal indicative of the raised or lowered position irrespective of a subsequent position of the activating switch.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plow assembly is adapted for mounting to a plow mounting portion of a vehicle. The plow assembly includes a lift arm assembly having a first end and a second end, a support assembly movably interconnected to the lift arm assembly, an actuator and a control device. The first end of the lift arm assembly is adapted for connection with a plow blade, while the second end of the lift arm assembly is adapted to removably and movably connect to the plow mounting portion of the vehicle. The support assembly includes a support foot extending from the lift arm assembly. The support foot is movable between a raised position and a lowered position for supporting the second end of the lift arm assembly at a support surface when the lift arm assembly is disconnected from the plow mounting portion of the vehicle. The actuator is operable to move the support foot relative to the lift arm assembly toward the lowered position. The control device is operable to actuate the actuator to move the support foot toward the lowered position in response to a control input. The control device is further operable to automatically limit downward movement of the support foot relative to the lift arm assembly in response to a signal indicative of the support foot engaging the support surface.
In one form, the actuator is further operable to vertically adjust the plow blade when the plow assembly is connected to the plow mounting portion of the vehicle and the support foot is moved to the raised position. Optionally, the support assembly is pivotally mounted to a draw latch assembly of the plow assembly. The draw latch assembly is operable to engage the plow mounting portion of the vehicle and pull the plow assembly toward the vehicle. Preferably, the draw latch assembly is selectably operable between a pulling mode and a plow adjusting mode for vertically adjusting the plow blade when the plow assembly is mounted on the vehicle. The control device is then operable when the draw latch assembly is in the pulling mode.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a plow hitch assembly is adapted for mounting a plow on a vehicle which has a frame and a bumper. A push beam assembly is secured to the frame of the vehicle and the hitch assembly comprises a lift arm assembly, a draw latch assembly and a power source. The lift arm assembly has a first and second end, where the first end is adapted for connection with a plow blade and the second end is adapted to removably and pivotally connect to the push beam assembly. The draw latch assembly selectively pulls the lift arm assembly toward the push beam assembly and pivots the lift arm assembly relative to the push beam assembly to vertically move the plow blade. The power source is interconnected with the lift arm assembly and the draw latch assembly and is operable to at least partially move a portion of the draw latch assembly such that the draw latch assembly engages the push beam assembly and pulls the lift arm assembly toward the push beam assembly. The power source is further operable to at least partially pivot the lift arm assembly relative to the push beam assembly and at least a portion of the draw latch assembly so as to vertically move the plow blade.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a hitch assembly is adapted for mounting a plow on a vehicle which has a frame and a bumper. The hitch assembly comprises a push beam assembly, a lift arm assembly, at least two coaxial mounting pins and a mounting lever. The push beam assembly is adapted to attach to the frame of the vehicle and includes at least two first mounting flanges extending outwardly therefrom at spaced positions. Each of these mounting flanges has a first mounting opening therethrough. The lift arm assembly has a first end and a second end, where the first end is adapted for connection with a plow blade and the second end is adapted to removably and pivotally connect to the push beam assembly. The second end of the lift arm assembly includes at least two second mounting flanges, each of which has a second mounting opening therethrough. The mounting pins pivotally attach the lift arm assembly to the push beam assembly such that the lift arm assembly pivots relative to the push beam assembly about a first pivot axis defined by the mounting pins. Each of the mounting pins is at least initially positioned adjacent to one of the first and second mounting openings and removably insertable through a corresponding pair of the first and second mounting openings of the push beam assembly and the lift arm assembly when the first mounting openings are aligned with the second mounting openings. Preferably, a mounting lever is also included which is pivotable about a lever axis in a first direction and a second, opposite direction. The mounting lever is interconnected with the at least two mounting pins such that the mounting pins engage the second mounting openings of the lift arm assembly and the first mounting openings of the push beam assembly to pivotally secure the lift arm assembly to the push beam assembly in response to a rotational movement of the mounting lever in the first direction. The mounting pins are withdrawn from at least one of the first and second mounting openings to detach the lift arm assembly from the push beam assembly in response to a rotational movement of the mounting lever in the second direction.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a plow connection assembly is adapted for mounting a plow on a vehicle which has a frame and a bumper. The plow connection assembly comprises a push beam assembly, a lift arm assembly and a draw latch assembly. The push beam assembly is secured to the frame of the vehicle and is positioned substantially rearward of the bumper of the vehicle. The lift arm assembly has a first and second end. The first end of the lift arm assembly is adapted for connection with a plow blade and the second end is adapted to removably and movably connect to the push beam assembly. The draw latch assembly is pivotally interconnected with the lift arm assembly and extends from the second end of the lift arm assembly. The draw latch assembly is operable to pivot relative to the lift arm assembly to engage the push beam assembly and pull the lift arm assembly toward the push beam assembly for connection thereto.
These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of this invention will become apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.